before emptying into the Beaufort Sea. The study area is 95 km from the 

 mouth at an elevation of 230 m. 



Gravel was scraped from unvegetated gravel bars within the active 

 floodplain. The gravel was used in construction of oil exploration facil- 

 ities including a drilling pad, campsite, supply pads, and landing strip. 

 The proposed extraction area encompasssed approximately 2.4 km of flood- 

 plain. Gravel removal was conducted during the winter of 1972 with 

 I 16,000 m extracted between March and spring breakup. Vegetative clearing 

 and overburden removal were not necessary before gravel removal. Material 

 was stockpiled with a dozer and loaded into dump trucks with a front-end 

 loader. Excavation below the water table was not permitted under the provi- 

 sions of the mining plan. Access over the river bank to the mined area was 

 by gravel ramp. 



Upon completion of gravel removal al I excavated sites were to be 

 smoothed by back-blading with a dozer and the gravel access ramp over the 

 stream bank was to be removed. At the time of site inspection the gravel 

 ramp was still present and essentially intact. Various aspects of this site 

 are shown in Figures 4, 72, and 91. 



Kav i k R i ver . The Kavik River is a medium river flowing in split channel 

 configuration. It originates in the Brooks Range at an elevation of 1,200 m 

 and flows 125 km to its confluence with the Shaviovik River. The study site 

 is 60 km from the confluence with the Shaviovik River at an elevation of 

 180 m. Downstream from the study reach the floodplain widens and takes on a 

 braided configuration. 



Approximately 40 ha were mined by scraping mid-channel and lateral 

 gravel bars within the active floodplain of the Kavik River. Gravel was 

 used for construction of an airstrip and road, and for development of four 

 oil well pads. Approximately 196,000 m were removed in 1968-1969 with 

 another 50,000 m extracted in 1973-1974. The initial gravel removal activ- 

 ity at this site was a trespass action and a mining plan is not available. 

 Gravel removal was conducted during the winter with scrapers and belly 



50 



